Tools

Categories

News Flash

Projects

Latest update:

May 21, 2018

On May 14, the City, the County, and several nonprofit resource agencies held the second "intensive services" day at the homeless encampment near Pilarcitos Creek behind the Strawflower Village shopping center, to help inhabitants gain access to social services. The next day, May 15, the site was vacated, closed, and fenced. Cleanup of the area is underway. Remediation of the environmental damage to the sensitive creek habitat in the area is in the planning and permitting stage. The site will be periodically monitored by the Sheriff’s office to prevent reestablishment of an encampment.

What’s next:

The City and its partners will continue working to help the homeless in our community to gain access to the many existing services that are available, including helping them toward permanent housing. To avoid disrupting the sensitive wildlife habitat at the site, the restoration work is on hold until after August, when the raptor nesting season has ended.

Background:

The homeless encampments near Pilarcitos Creek behind the Strawflower Village shopping center are inhabited by individuals who are in crisis, who have limited options for their living conditions, and who need the help of social services agencies in meeting some of their daily needs. These encampments are in environmentally-sensitive areas which are showing increasing degradation including significant amounts of trash, debris, human waste, and other materials.

Many in the community share a concern for the resulting public health and safety issues for the homeless individuals and the nearby community, as well as for the environmental damage being done. Early last year, the City Council identified cleaning up the encampments as a priority, and this year a plan is underway to accomplish that priority.

The City’s goal is to restore, remediate, and protect the area from further damage, while facilitating the provision of much-needed County and nonprofit service provider assistance to these homeless people. The City is proceeding in a sensitive, thoughtful, and caring way, balancing its responsibilities to the entire community of Half Moon Bay.

In January, 2018, the City let people at the encampments know that a cleanup will be implemented in early spring, and they will have to vacate the site. As that cleanup date approaches, the City is working in partnership with San Mateo County and a number of social services providers to help the homeless people there gain access to the many existing services that are available, including helping them toward permanent housing. Half Moon Bay will continue in this effort of bringing services, information, and resources to the encampment inhabitants prior to implementing the removal and cleanup.

It's anticipated the cleanup will commence in mid-May (revised), once the City has fully assessed the conditions there, secured the necessary permits, and provided ample opportunities for the inhabitants to connect with County and service provider resources. The cleanup is expected to then begin, followed by environmental restoration.